Chapter 4: Training
11:11 AM (Japan Time), Tuesday June the 20th…
"… The enemy's troops are in Sector D – 3. Clear it: we cannot allow them to take over the storage building."
"Roger, Command. Over and out."
"CF" Netto was located inside of a half-ruined city where explosions and the rattling of machine guns could be heard on the background while he was ducking and hiding behind a pile of rocks: he had one hand pressed against his right ear pad.
His "Cross Fusion" design had been changed ever since two years ago.
The helmet's design had a bright blue-colored fin-shape piece which formed at the sides, emerged from the ear pads' upper edge and extended until the end of the helmet: an arch was drawn over it and the space inside of it had a deeper tonality of blue.
That same forehead drawing which his other form had had was set on the same place, and the helmet's front now extended until the start of the nose: his hair now flowed out in a more natural manner from behind.
The blue borders travelling down the sides of his upper body ended around the hips: two circular bands of the bright blue color were drawn over them with a small separation between them.
A pale blue border formed around that spot and a straight line travelled towards the emblem to form a curve surrounding the lower half of the hips: the curve ended with a small "spike" drawing pointing downwards.
The plating over his shoulders now had a more pyramid-like form and they were aiming towards the NW and NE, respectively.
His forearm design now included a thin separation around the elbow: the two combined section formed a hexagon with a green jewel set there.
The short section set on the rear half of the elbow was colored navy blue while the rest of the forearm was slightly brighter.
His boots' design was based upon that of his forearms: the soil was painted black and split from the rest of the foot by a thin bright blue line.
The jetpack design had changed a bit, too, and it now included bright blue pieces connecting the upper right and left edges with the body: a curved red line was drawn half-way across there while the rest of the backpack looked identical to Rock Man's usual form.
I gotta admit that this new "Cross Fusion" form brought upon by the previous PET, the PET III, is cool. The process is now smoother and some pieces come pre-assembled so no time is spent building them up. But we gotta move it, anyway, Saito – niisan.
Sure. Let's move a move.
Heh, heh, heh! That's the cherry niisan I like to hear to!
I know, Netto – kun.
"CF" Netto morphed his Rock Buster into a Vulcan and jumped out of the barricade and into the street: he used a 3D map to see the path to his destination.
This map is useful: I wouldn't want to have to stop and decipher a printed map to locate my target.
Guess so.
He soon reached the spot: it was a big square (which was totally wrecked and filled with remains of objects) filled with "Darkloids" (multiple Burner Men and others) which were trying to break through a defense line established around a warehouse building which seemed to be important.
Let's blow them sky-high! Saito suggested.
"Battle Chip, Meteors!"
Meteors rained down from the skies, deleting many of the "Darkloids": given how they'd been focused on their assault then they had forgotten to properly cover their backs.
"Battle Chip, Flame Tower!"
A fire column appeared on the middle of the plaza and more "Darkloids" were deleted: the remaining ones ceased their assault and turned around as if to counterattack.
"Battle Chip, Tsunami!"
A giant tsunami appeared and destroyed the last of the "Darkloids" before they could attack "CF" Netto.
"Unit 4, Beta Company: Status Report." The automated voice requested over "CF" Netto's radio set.
"Sector D – 3 is clear. I repeat: Clear."
"Good job. Rush to Sector B – 1: their leader is leading an assault on our HQ." The automated voice ordered.
"I'm on my way. Do I have reinforcements?" "CF" Netto asked.
"Yes. You do. Unit 3 is on his way there. ETA: Two minutes." The voice replied.
"Roger that. My ETA is three minutes."
"We estimate being able to hold our ground for a maximum of ten to fifteen minutes. Do hurry up."
"Roger, Command. Unit 4, Beta Company, Over."
Let's hurry, Netto – kun!
I know that!
"Dash Condor!"
"CF" Netto engaged a Dash Condor Battle Chip and used it to fly above the city while destroying the Viruses on his path with well-aimed Rock Buster shots: he soon spotted the HQ tower.
"… Neon Light!"
"Bright Beam!"
"Meteor!"
Flash Man and other "Darkloids" (especially Bright Men and Star Ment) were attacking the automated defenses consisting on machineguns, missile launchers and laser cannons: "CF" Netto jumped into the fray in complete silence and drew a Long Sword Battle Chip which he used to stab one Bright Man from behind.
"Kya~h!"
The others turned his attention to them, but, suddenly, a strange red indented blade cut off Flash Man's right arm and he looked at it with utter disbelief.
"What! My right hand! Guwra~h!"
Another five attacks cut him in pieces and he blew up as well: his comrades gasped in horror.
"Yo. Blood Shadow's come."
Blood Shadow appealed as being close to a meter and sixty tall: his main color of choice was red.
He sported black shades and a flock of messy reddish hair came out from behind the helmet given how it only covered the face and the front of the head: his ear-pads had two purple "V" letters drawn inside of them.
His armor had the purple letters "BS" engraved on the chest area while his legs were colored black and had two red stripes running down the legs' sides in a parallel manner.
His right forearm was covered by a device colored red coupled with a piece of it which was colored transparent red: a small indentation near the wrist had the same "BS" initials engraved there: and, where the hand would be, a large double-barreled shotgun emerged instead.
"Blood! Glad ya came." "CF" Netto greeted.
"Sure, Hikari – kun. Leave some of the fry to me."
"Mwah, hah, hah… It's time for some beating!"
"Sigma's come too!"
"Calling on Sigma – sama… COME AT FULL POWER!"
This Net Navi was about two meters tall and was colored jet black: a red spheroid could be seen set on his chest area and it seemed to be missing the armor over its mass.
His face had two red eyes and one shone brighter than the other: two horns, one of which was almost erased, were set on both sides of his head and added a "demonic" look to him.
Green data flows moved around his body and he held a massive black and green sword in his right hand which was easily over a meter tall.
Overall, he seemed to be tall and imposing.
"Yay! Check it out! Bright Beam!"
"Meteors!"
"Mwah, hah, hah. They tickle~!"
"Wha~t?"
"I-impossible~!"
"Failure Gang Blasts Off Again! Eat this!"
Sigma suddenly readied a pose by standing with his left side facing them and the sword aiming up and right: energy seemed to build up there: he suddenly swung his sword left.
"Ua~h!"
"Nya~h!"
The impact and energy were so big that the blow sent them flying at top speed towards the skies to quickly become out of sight: Sigma chuckled and turned to grin at them.
"Mwah, hah, hah. See?" He told the others.
"Yeah, yeah. We see." They dully replied.
"The Synchro Trio?"
"No."
"Yo. Don't forget me either."
"Ah! Zero."
"Mwah, hah, hah… Zero's come…"
"Yeah… I wanted some hot boiling action too…" Zero admitted as he looked at his blade.
"Coming…" Sigma grinned.
"METTO~!"
A gigantic Mettool suddenly advanced towards them: the defenses opened fire but nothing seemed to affect the mobility of the enemy despite the blunt hits and all.
"It's time for the Boss Battle! Demon Rings!"
"Area Steal! Charged Shotgun Shot!"
"Program Advance! Hi Cannon, Triple Slot In! Giga Cannon!"
"Zero Saber! Hra~h!"
Sigma formed some thin blue rings the edges of which frizzled with electricity: they got attached to the giant Mettol's body and produced electrical discharges: Blood Shadow warped, landed atop the hard-hat, and placed his already loaded shotgun barrels there to shoot a discharge of plasma rounds at point-blank: "CF" Netto formed the Giga Cannon Program Advance and attacked the forehead while Zero warped and began to cut through the air with the sword to form curved energy slices: all attacks opened some wounds on the giant Mettool but it didn't stop.
"Shit. We need to divert it." "CF" Netto grumbled.
"Mwah, hah, hah… Don't worry, Hikari~… I've got the perfect trick: Poké Sweet! Not even that Mettool will be able to avoid being lured by their sweet scent into a Poké Spot somewhere in Orre~! Let's pick the "Rock Field Poké Spot"! Mwah, hah, hah!"
"Well. That could work... Did you rewrite the software?" Blood Shadow calmly asked of him.
"Sure I did, Bloody~ Shadowy~, my buddy~!"
"Fine, fine. Just move it." Zero told him.
"Yeah. The sooner we lure the guy away the better."
Sigma used some kind of hovering engines on his boots to float and took out a cake made of a gelatin-like substance and colored yellow: the Mettool looked at it and Sigma threw it across the air down an avenue heading for the sea: the Mettool began to run towards there.
"Now! Battle Chip, Ice Stage!"
The ground froze and the Mettool slid down the avenue until it ended up into the bay: it partly sunk there and the group took profit of the iced floor to slide down the avenue, jump into the air and head for them.
"Program Advance! Cannon, Hi Cannon, Mega Cannon! Slot In! Zeta Cannon!"
"Program Advance! Vulcan, Triple Slot In! Mugen Vulcan!"
"Demon Fire!"
"Zero Saber!"
"METTO~!"
The Mettool blew up and the group landed on the coastal avenue: they sighed in relief and then smiled.
"Well! Sigma! Gotta admit your idea was cool… Heh, heh, heh! Heh, heh, heh!" "CF" Netto grinned.
"Sure was!" Sigma grinned.
"It adds variety." Blood Shadow calmly replied.
"Guess so." Zero shrugged.
"Good work, Beta Company. Disband."
A buzzer rang out: the whole landscape changed into a blue haze surrounding a white light "portal".
"Let's go~!"
Energy could be seen flowing towards it across circuit boards which were spinning around the "space": they floated towards the "portal" and crossed through its boundary: everything became white.
"Mwah, hah, hah."
The next second, they were standing inside of a bare metallic room, many meters in width and height: a holographic screen popped out.
"We're back!" "CF" Netto grinned.
VR SIMULATION
LEVEL: 4
CLASS: C
NUMBER: 20 OF 25
TIME: 06: 17
RANK: B
USERS: BLOOD SHADOW, SIGMA, HIKARI NETTO, ROCK MAN, ZERO
HAVE A NICE DAY!
"Phew! I'm tired." Netto admitted as he released the "Cross Fusion" and picked back his Link PET.
"No wonder…" Zero stretched.
"Mwah, hah, hah… My customizing was a success."
"I'll admit that." Blood Shadow shrugged.
"So! Bloody~ Shadowy~! Are you ready to try out Dragon Hell's newest recipe? It'll beat Maha Jarama one of these days and he'll begin a burning competition against the guy~! Mwah, hah, hah… So?"
"That is not gonna happen. And I don't need to eat anyway."
"Then bring out the Anti Food Sword."
Netto slapped his forehead in defeat while Rock Man (projecting out of the Link PET using a small-scale hologram which was about half of Netto's head height long) also looked exasperated by his behavior.
"This guy… Well. I'm off. See ya."
"Take care!"
"Beware of Laika's snowy coffee~!"
"You don't butt into this."
"Yeah. Those food jokes are silly."
Netto left them to discuss and stepped into a wholly metallic corridor which had a curved shape.
The corridor was illuminated by fluorescent lights set on the ceiling.
Several labeled armored doors could be seen placed at both sides of it and some large arches were set every a hundred meters or so.
"To the elevator I go~…" He made up a rhyme.
"That rhyme's not so classical anymore." Rock Man muttered.
Netto reached an elevator and stepped inside: he pressed a button with the "DOCKING BAYS" label underneath of the "1ST DECK" button.
"And down goes the magical box!"
"Oh come on."
The elevator descended and he stepped out into a small hall where two armored doors were placed at the right and the left and were labeled "DOCKING BAY #7" and "DOCKING BAY #8" respectively.
"To 8 and 8 we go and 8 and 8 go to~…"
"And you said you hated Math." Rock Man looked skeptical.
"That ain't math, niisan! It's imagination! Imagine~!"
"Sure, sure… Loop-holes-guy…" Rock Man was unimpressed.
He headed for the door and it automatically slid to the right to allow him to enter a new room.
"The coolest room in Cool Things Land…!"
"Sigma's moods influence you TOO much."
"Heh, heh, heh!"
The room Netto stepped into had a unique design: the floor was just a giant platform suspended by steel columns on the borders.
The real floor, two meters below them, contained a set of fans which were currently stopped.
The whole room was about five or six meters tall and eight or ten meters wide.
"Yo! Omega."
"Hum. So? How'd it go like, Hikari?"
"Sigma came up with some edits."
"Guess I'll check them out…"
Omega was leaning his back next to a shuttle like the one he'd been waiting next to the previous day: the hatch was open and he was folding his arms while looking calm.
"So! Down to Down Land we go~?"
"JEEZ! Netto – kun! I can't stand randomness! Cyborg body or not, that doesn't change that I'm a Net Navi and everything around me has to be logical and have some reason to be like that! Randomness drives me mad because I can't get the point of it or why it has to be like it!" Rock Man suddenly protested.
"That annoyed face is cool, man."
"Are you bullying your own ani or what, Netto – kun?"
"Well… That's…"
"Then stop with the silly rhymes already!"
"Sure, sure… Man. You lack imagination."
"I don't. I can't stand randomness."
"And why can Sigma can, then?"
"Sigma's another tale: he isn't so strict with his persona. But I'm strict with myself and I'll always be." Rock Man fumed.
"I must say that Rock Man's got an argument there." Omega calmly added without being surprised.
"Sheesh. Alright. Down to Earth we go!"
"Alright. Come in."
Netto stepped into the cabin and sat down: he buckled the seat-belt and Omega came in, sealing the door: he sat on the pilot's seat and began to input commands.
"Let's go. Seal up bay, drain atmosphere, stabilize pressure, open docking bay doors…" He muttered.
Netto looked through the view-window: a large oval-shaped armored door was set on the south wall of the room, about two meters in front of them: Omega pressed some buttons and typed some commands into a LCD screen built on the control console: the doors in the docking bay sealed with a force field and the air was sucked out by the fans to equalize it to the vacuum of space.
"Cool. It always makes me feel excited despite that I've lost the count of how many times I've done this…" Netto admitted as he looked out through the window.
"Doesn't it? It seems to fit with my need to reflect and thing how simple things look from up here…"
The hatch in front of them opened and the shuttle slowly moved forward: once it had left some safety distance between the hatch and space then the shuttle ignited its drive and entered the atmosphere.
"Bring up the rear camera: I wanna see the HQ!"
"You want to see it so badly…" He shrugged.
"Heh, heh, heh. Wow, wow. As cool as always…!"
They looked at one holographic screen showing the view from a camera built on the tail of the craft: the whole HQ was visible.
The gigantic spacecraft had a main dome-shaped body with a small dome-shaped body built atop the first: the first dome's base was rather thick and large: some hatches could be seen on the sides of the circle which obviously were the docking bays.
Some spires which looked like they were made of glass were set on the first dome's surface to be right above the docking bays: the spires had three rings built around them along with a glass sphere on top of them.
There also were some rectangular view windows set above the spaces between each docking bay.
"By the way, Omega… Did you figure out anything while we were there regarding the villain?" Rock Man asked.
"Not much… We're still pending to figure out what the stolen data was about: the Army keeps on being stubborn. Commissioner Kifune has made an official request but they've turned him down in a very rude manner so now the guys at Washington are about to have the CO's head in a silver platter for wanting to annoy Japan." He sighed.
"Really. What an idiot."
"Yeah. Some kind of arrogance and pride cocktail… Come to these ends I'm afraid we'll have to go fetch it ourselves… But don't tell "Octopus – han", the hacker you're buddies with… It's risky. We'll do it since we're an independent organization non-affiliated to any government… Really. Life would be easier without types like those…"
12:33 PM (Japan Time)…
"… Here we are. The usual car is there."
"Alright. See you around."
"Bye!"
"Bye."
The shuttle landed inside of the warehouse and Netto stepped out: Omega sealed the hatch up and the thing flew skywards without any visible propulsion system: Netto headed outside where the car of the previous day was waiting: he climbed into the rear central seat and buckled the seat-belt while it moved out.
"Netto – kun. Enzan – kun's ringing."
"Enzan? True. We hadn't heard of him for some days."
"Netto! Are you alright? I got told what happened yesterday." Enzan showed up onscreen.
"I'm alright, Enzan."
"Phew. Laika and I were concerned."
"Laika's in Japan? When did he arrive?"
"Two days ago."
"So, Rock Man… You'll be alright?" Blues asked.
"Don't worry, Buruusu. I'm a rock."
"Yeah. True." He smiled.
"Let that guy come up with anything they want: we'll smash it to dust and then the guy does down too." Netto grinned.
"Hmpf. That's more like you, Netto."
"Take care, Saito."
"Thanks, Buruusu… If we join forces then… That guy stands no chance!"